What does 'mobile compatible' mean?
Generally, the term "mobile compatible" means that a site can be viewed and used on a mobile device. This basic endorsement of a site for mobile use is different than another similar term, "mobile optimized," which means that designers have built in design features that make a site user friendly for mobile users.
The vast majority of sites on the internet are mobile compatible. However, many are not mobile optimized. Websites are often made predominantly for computer screens or other devices with larger screen sizes. The controls are not optimized for touch-screen interfaces or smaller viewing areas.
In order to promote mobile compatibility and mobile optimization, there is a feature called "responsive design" that is being built into internet systems. Responsive design involves creating websites in ways that support mobile use. Two main aspects of responsive design would be allowing for a better viewing experience on a smaller screen, and aligning or orienting controls where a mobile user can easily get to them.
Mobile compatibility and mobile optimization will be an enormous part of web design in the future. Currently, a sizable percentage of users access websites through their smartphones rather than through other kinds of devices. This leads to a lot of frustration with sites that aren’t easy to use from the mobile phone interface. Experts are predicting that as mobile devices continue to take over, companies and website managers will scramble to build in more mobile-oriented features and better mobile use design.
Tags
Written by Techopedia Staff

At Techopedia, we aim to provide insight and inspiration to IT professionals, technology decision-makers and anyone else who is proud to be called a geek. From defining complex tech jargon in our dictionary, to exploring the latest trend in our articles or providing in-depth coverage of a topic in our tutorials, our goal is to help you better understand technology - and, we hope, make better decisions as a result.
More Q&As from our experts
- What does the mobile network state mean?
- With more big data solutions moving to the cloud, how will that impact network performance and security?
- What is the difference between cloud computing and web hosting?
Related Terms
- Responsive Web Design
- Mobile Operating System
- Smartphone
- Touch Screen
- Gesture Recognizer
- Mobile Device
- Web Design
- Windows Internet Naming Service
- Distributed Computing System
- Radio Frequency Identification Tag
Related Articles

Mobile Device Management vs. Mobile Application Management: The Big Fight Continues

Why Free Smartphone Apps Are Anything But Free

Cloud Evolution: How We See and Use the Cloud Has Changed

Web Roundup: Awesome Angles on IoT
Tech moves fast! Stay ahead of the curve with Techopedia!
Join nearly 200,000 subscribers who receive actionable tech insights from Techopedia.
- The CIO Guide to Information Security
- Robotic Process Automation: What You Need to Know
- Data Governance Is Everyone's Business
- Key Applications for AI in the Supply Chain
- Service Mesh for Mere Mortals - Free 100+ page eBook
- Do You Need a Head of Remote?
- Web Data Collection in 2022 - Everything you need to know